September 21 is World Peace Day, also known as International Day of World Peace. The United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly declared September 21 International Day of Peace and the first occurrence was celebrated in 1982.
So what exactly is World Peace Day? Well, it is all about peace. In some cases, it may be used for a temporary cease fire in the case of war. Each September 21, the day starts out with the “Peace Bell” being rang at the UN Headquarters in New York City. For those that don’t know, the “Peace Bell” is made of coins donated from every continent except Africa and was given by the UN Association of Japan. But, before the bell was rang, the The Secretary-General and President of the U.N. spoke. Also on hand were U.N. Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors Ishmael Beah, Monique Coleman, Michael Douglas, Yuna Kim, Jane Goodall, and Stevie Wonder.
Each year has a theme and this year’s theme is “Peace and Democracy: Make your voice heard!” The Secretary-General of the U.N., Ban Ki-moon pointed out in his message for the day that democracy is essential for human rights. Yet, he pointed out that “democracy does not just happen; it has to be nurtured and defended.” He said this can be done by the world speaking out for many things: social justice, clean environment, freedom of the press, and empowerment of women.
Ki-moon went on to say that “Democracy is among the foundations of peace.” He said through democracy, peace would be built “day by day, year by year.”
The President of the U.N. General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, said that many people, including the young, are calling out for peace, human rights, democracy, and justice all over the world. He went on to say that peace isn’t just lack of war, but rather a sustainable thing that can only be created by improving the living conditions, more development, and securing human rights for all around the world.
Douglas, the longest-serving ambassador may have put it best when he said the World Peace Day is “more relevant than ever.”